Aerosol-forming material for a hookah

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to an aerosol-forming material for a hookah, which comprises a first substance and at least one second substance which is held by the first substance and which is at least partly released following activation of the aerosol-forming material, wherein the first substance comprises pores for receiving the second substance and the second substance is a fluid. Provision is made for the first substance, based on the weight thereof, to comprise at least 65 wt % of clinoptilolite.

The invention relates to an aerosol-forming material for a waterpipe, comprising a first substance and at least one second substance which is held by the first substance and which, following activation of the aerosol-forming material, is at least partly released, and to use of the aerosol-forming material, and also to uses of the first substance.

The purpose of using a waterpipe is to consume flavorings from an aerosol-forming material which is located in a reservoir. The aerosol-forming material is typically waterpipe tobacco and/or a plant-based tobacco substitute as a carrier for flavored fluids. Placed above it is a fuel, more particularly coal, with the aerosol-forming material being separated from the fuel by a perforated aluminum foil or a smoke screen. On consumption, a flow is generated which guides hot air from the coal to the aerosol-forming material. As a result of the physical closeness of the fuel to the aerosol-forming material, this material is preheated, and the supply of hot air to the aerosol-forming material causes solids to be given up to the hot air, with the consequence that an airflow which contains constituents of the aerosol-forming material in the form of an aerosol is guided from the aerosol-forming material into the remaining part of the waterpipe.

A problem, however, is that the aerosol-forming material can easily burn, impairing the flavor of the waterpipe. Moreover, after having been used, the aerosol-forming material is spent and cannot be re-used.

DE 198 54 009 C2 discloses a system for providing an inhalable aerosol, the system having an aerosol-forming material. This material may be a carrier material treated with flavor substances. Inorganic carrier materials identified are aluminum oxide, silica gel, activated carbon, cellulosic fibers, lignin granules, zeolites, clay earths, meerschaum, and combinations thereof. The use of the aerosol-forming material in waterpipes is not envisaged.

WO 2009/010176 A2 relates to a tobacco substitute which comprises a carrier material and a flavoring agent. The carrier material may be a porous bulk material, with montmorillonite, dolomite, and kieselguhr being specified as examples of such porous bulk material.

DE 10 2007 043 776 A1 discloses microcapsules which are to be used in a shaped body whose shape resembles a waterpipe. The microcapsules contain an ingredient which may be in association with a carrier. The carrier may comprise porous varieties of dolomite, clays such as montmorillonite, and silicas and silicates such as kieselguhr.

It is an object of the invention to eliminate the disadvantages according to the prior art. The aim more particularly is to specify an aerosol-forming material which can be used in waterpipes and possesses enhanced properties. Furthermore, uses of the aerosol-forming material are to be specified.

This object is achieved by the features of claims 1, 6, and 10. Useful embodiments of the inventions are evident from the features of the dependent claims.

Provided in accordance with the invention is an aerosol-forming material for a waterpipe, comprising a first substance and at least one second substance which is held by the first substance and which, following activation of the aerosol-forming material, is at least partly released, the first substance having pores for accommodating the second substance, and the second substance being a fluid, characterized in that the first substance, based on its weight, comprises at least 65% by weight of clinoptilolite.

Surprisingly it has emerged, in extensive experiments by the inventor, that on the basis of the use of clinoptilolite as a first substance, the aerosol-forming material of the invention comprises improved properties in relation to the holding of the second substance and to the release thereof following activation. Clinoptilolite possesses a high adsorption capacity, which can be between 40% and 50% by weight of its own weight. Accordingly, in contrast to the prior art, in the event of full loading of the first substance with the second substance, based on an identical unit volume, the amount of second substance provided in the waterpipe can be higher. Surprisingly, following activation, in other words during the use of the waterpipe in the manner intended, the emission of the second substance takes place at a uniform rate in a steady flow. There is no change in the structure of the second substance while it is held in the first substance. Furthermore, clinoptilolite is not harmful to health, and more particularly is not carcinogenic. Finally, clinoptilolite is not altered in its structure as a result of the activation, and so, after the release of the second substances, it can be loaded again with second substances. For this reason, the first substance can be re-used. The first substance offers the advantage, furthermore, that it is not combustible.

The term “aerosol-forming material” in the present invention relates to a material which is able to release the second substance in the form of an aerosol. The first substance does not itself form an aerosol. Prior to activation, the second substance is held by the first substance. The aerosol-forming material can be obtained by loading of the first substance with the second substance. In this case, the first substance serves as a carrier material for the second substance. At the loading stage, the second substance is adsorbed on the surface of the first substance. On account of the porosity of the clinoptilolite, the surface area of the first substance is comparatively high, resulting in the high adsorption capacity, as described above, of the first substance. After loading has taken place, the second substance is held by the first substance until activation occurs. The structural properties of the first and second substances do not change either during loading and holding or during activation.

A waterpipe frequently consists of a closed water container, through the top of which a smoke column, extending substantially vertically, is passed, with one end of the smoke column protruding into the water located in the water container, and its other end ending in a head part which is located outside the water container. The head part has an opening for entry of air. To the side of the passage opening of the smoke column, there is typically a hose which is passed through the top of the water container, but without contacting the surface of the water in the water container. Via the distal end of the hose, a user is able to generate an air flow which generates a reduced pressure in the water container. This reduced pressure in turn generates an air flow which draws air from the head part, through the smoke column and the water located in the water container, into the water container. In the head part, the air flow passes through a section, called the reservoir, where a filling material, which is an aerosol-forming material, is located. In the majority of cases the head part has an outer surface on which a combustion material, coal for example, is located. The surface is usually located above the air entry opening through which air enters the head part, and so the air flow does not pass through the combustion material. The heat which is produced when the combustion material burns heats the aerosol-forming material, thereby activating it. Where the combustion material used is coal, it is heated to temperatures of around 600 to about 1000° C. The combustion material and the aerosol-forming material are distanced from one another, being separated, for example, from one another by one or more perforated aluminum foils or a smoke screen. For this reason, the aerosol-forming material is not heated to the same extent as the combustion material, and so the activation temperature, i.e., the temperature at which the first substance releases the second substance, is lower than the temperature of the burning combustion material. The air flow which enters the combustion head through the air entry opening then passes through the activated aerosol-forming material, in the course of which it takes up the second substance, which is released in the form of an aerosol, and transports it through the combustion pipe, through the water in the water container, and through the hose to the waterpipe user.

The aerosol-forming material of the present invention can be used as aerosol-forming material in a waterpipe of this kind.

The aerosol-forming material of the invention is activated preferably by exposure to heat. Activation takes place preferably at a temperature of 120 to 350° C., more preferably at a temperature of 150 to 300° C. The first substance is stable at these temperatures, more particularly even at 250° C., and is unable to burn.

Below the activation temperature, the release of the second substance ought to be as small as possible; in the best case, more particularly at room temperature, no second substance ought to be released from the first substance. An advantage of the clinoptilolite used in accordance with the invention is that below the activation temperature, and more particularly at room temperature, there is no notable release of the second substance.

The first substance comprises at least 65% by weight of clinoptilolite, preferably at least 80% by weight of clinoptilolite, more preferably at least 90% by weight of clinoptilolite, even more preferably at least 95% by weight of clinoptilolite, very preferably at least 99% by weight of clinoptilolite, based in each case on the first substance. With particular preference the first substance is composed exclusively or almost exclusively of clinoptilolite; in other words, the fraction of clinoptilolite as a proportion of the first substance ought to be as high as possible. In this way, the advantageous properties of the aerosol-forming material of the invention can be realized to particularly good effect. The remainder to 100% by weight is composed of other minerals, preferably of natural minerals. The other, natural minerals are selected preferably from the group consisting of bentonite, dolomite, illite, kaolinite, montmorillonite, muscovite, feldspar, cristobalite, and mixtures thereof.

The clinoptilolite envisaged in accordance with the invention is a natural mineral which belongs to the group of the aluminosilicates. Depending on the geographic origin of the mineral, the chemical composition may be described with different empirical formulae. Common empirical formulae for clinoptilolite are (Ca, K₂, Na₂, Mg)₄Al₈Si₄₀O₉₆.24H₂O, (Na, K)₆[Al₆Si₃₀O₇₂].20H₂O or (Na, K, Ca)₆[(Si, Al)₃₆O₇₂].20H₂O.

The first substance is preferably a compact body or is in the form of granules. Where the first substance is a compact body, the dimensions of the body ought at least in one dimension, preferably in each dimension, to be between 10 mm and 100 mm. The solid body can be inserted into the reservoir.

With greater preference the first substance is in the form of granules. The granules may conform to the shape of the reservoir. The granules in each dimension preferably have an extent of at least 0.1 mm and not more than 10 mm. The particle size of the granules can be between 0.1 mm and 10 mm. Preferably the particle size of the granules is between 2.5 and 9 mm. In one embodiment, the particle size is between 2.5 mm and 5 mm. In a second embodiment, the particle size is between 5 mm and 9 mm. The figure for the particle size relates in each case to the granules without filling with the second substance. The particle size is equal to the cube root of the multiplication of the three different edge lengths of a cuboid which in terms of its dimensions is able just still to enclose the particle:

d={square root over (a*b*c)}

where d represents the particle size and a, b, and c represent the edge lengths of the cuboid.

The first substance is preferably an open-pore material. The pores of the first substance are able to take up and store the second substance, thereby producing the aerosol-forming material of the invention. On activation, as for example on heating of the aerosol-forming material by a fuel, the second substance is given off again from the pores of the first substance. The first substance is therefore suitable as a carrier for the second substance, i.e., more particularly, for flavored and/or smoke-emitting fluids. After the aerosol-forming material has been utilized in a waterpipe, the first substance can be used again and is able to serve further as carrier for a second substance.

The second substance is a fluid, preferably a flavored and/or smoke-emitting fluid. The second substance may comprise two or more flavored and/or smoke-emitting fluids. At least one of the fluids may be a misting fluid. The second substance, which is released following activation of the aerosol-forming material, forms an aerosol. An aerosol in this context means a colloidal system comprising a gas dispersed within which there are small solid or liquid particles of the second substance. The diameter of the particles of the second substance in the gas ought to be between 10⁻⁷ to 10⁻³ cm. Where the particles of the second substance dispersed in the gas are solid, the fluid in question may be a smoke-emitting fluid; where they are liquid, the second substance may be a mist-emitting fluid, as for example a flavored fluid. The gas is preferably air—for example, the air of the air flow generated in the waterpipe.

The second substance is preferably selected from the group which encompasses polyols, flavoring agents, active ingredients, water, and mixtures thereof. A requirement is that the second substance forms an aerosol when the aerosol-forming material of the invention is activated. Exemplary polyols are glycerol, propylene glycol, and mixtures thereof. Exemplary flavoring agents are extracts of fruits, of herbs, fruit products, plant products, and mixtures thereof. The flavoring agents are preferably in the form of esters, ethers, oils, monohydric alcohols, and mixtures thereof. Preferred flavoring agents are apple flavors, banana flavors, blueberry flavors, caipirinha flavors, cappuccino flavors, chocolate flavors, cherry flavors, coconut flavors, dragon fruit flavors, grape flavors, guava flavors, honeydew-melon flavors, watermelon flavors, lemon flavors, lime flavors, mango flavors, mint flavors, orange flavors, passion fruit flavors, peach flavors, raspberry flavors, rose flavors, strawberry flavors, mandarin flavors, woodruff flavors, menthol flavors, whiskey flavors, fig flavors, tobacco flavors, and mixtures thereof. Exemplary active ingredients are psychoactive compounds such as caffeine, nicotine, and mixtures thereof. The flavoring agents may include a water fraction, which ought to amount to not more than 1% by weight, preferably not more than 0.5% by weight, based in each case on the flavoring agent. The weight fraction given for the flavoring agent as a proportion of the second substance includes this water fraction.

In one preferred embodiment the second substance is a composition. One preferred composition is a mixture consisting of at least one polyol and at least one flavoring agent. The fraction of the polyol, based on the second substance, ought to be at least 90% by weight, preferably at least 95% by weight, based in each case on the second substance. One preferred composition is composed of 95% by weight of glycerol and 5% by weight of flavoring agent, based in each case on the second substance. The polyol may include a water fraction, which ought to amount to not more than 1% by weight, preferably not more than 0.5% by weight, based in each case on the polyol. The weight fraction given for the polyol as a proportion of the second substance includes the water fraction.

In one embodiment the aerosol-forming material of the invention is the mineral clinoptilolite in the form of granules having a particle size of between 2.5 mm and 5 mm without a filling of flavored and/or smoke-emitting fluids in the pores as carrier for flavored and/or smoke-emitting fluids for use in waterpipes.

The aerosol-forming material of the invention may be in made-up form—in other words, the first substance is filled with the second substance. Alternatively the aerosol-forming material of the invention may be made available in the form of a kit, which provides the first substance separately from the second substance.

Envisaged in accordance with the invention, additionally, is the use of clinoptilolite as carrier material of an aerosol-forming material for a waterpipe.

In one embodiment the mineral clinoptilolite in the form of granules having a particle size of between 2.5 mm and 5 mm without a filling of flavored and/or smoke-emitting fluids in the pores is used as carrier for flavored and/or smoke-emitting fluids for use in waterpipes.

Provided in accordance with the invention, furthermore, is the use of the aerosol-forming material of the invention as filling material for a waterpipe.

The invention is illustrated below by means of an exemplary embodiment, which are intended not to limit the invention.

EXAMPLES Example 1 (a) First Substance

The first substance used had the following composition, based on the first substance, with the proviso that the sum of the constituents makes 100% by weight:

clinoptilolite 88% to 95% by weight feldspar 3% to 5% by weight montmorillonite 2% to 5% by weight cristobalite 0% to 2% by weight muscovite: 0% to 3% by weight (Total: 100% by weight)

The clinoptilolite constituent has the following empirical formula (Ca, K₂, Na₂, Mg)₄Al₈Si₄₀O₉₆.24H₂O. The clinoptilolite constituent has the following chemical composition, based on the clinoptilolite constituent, with the proviso that the sum of the constituents makes 100% by weight.

SiO₂ 65% to 72% by weight Al₂O₃ 10% to 12% by weight CaO 2.5% to 3.7% by weight K₂O 2.3% to 3.5% by weight Fe₂O₃ 0.8% to 1.9% by weight MgO 0.9% to 1.2% by weight Na₂O 0.3% to 0.65% by weight TiO₂ 0% to 0.1% by weight MnO 0% to 0.08% by weight Loss on ignition: 9% to 12% by weight

The first substance had a porosity of 45% to 50% and an average pore diameter of 4 angstroms.

The first substance was in the form of granules having a particle size of 5 to 9 mm. The particle size was determined by means of a sieve analysis.

In the aerosol-forming material, the first substance forms the carrier for the second substance, i.e., for the flavored and/or smoke-emitting fluids.

(b) Second Substance

The second substance used had the following composition, based on the second substance, with the proviso that the sum constituents makes 100% by weight:

Glycerol¹: 95% by weight Flavoring agent: 5% by weight ¹Glycerol 99.5% strength

The flavoring agent was an apple flavor.

In the aerosol-forming material, the second substance forms the flavored and/or smoke-emitting fluids which are taken up by the first substance and stored therein. With the heating of the aerosol-forming material, the fluids are given off again.

(c) Aerosol-Forming Substance

An aerosol-forming substance of the invention was produced using the first and second substances. For this purpose, 70 g of the first substance were loaded with 30 g of second substance, by the thorough mixing of both substances.

On heating of the aerosol-forming substance thus obtained to 200° C. in a waterpipe, the second substance was given off at a uniform rate, forming an aerosol.

Example 2 An Aerosol-Forming Material was Produced with the Following Composition

(a) First Substance

The first substance was the mineral clinoptilolite in the form of granules having a particle size of between 2.5 mm and 5 mm. The clinoptilolite had the chemical composition indicated in example 1. This first substance was the carrier for flavored and/or smoke-emitting fluids for use in waterpipes.

(b) Second Substance

The second substance took the form of flavored and/or smoke-emitting fluids.

(c) Aerosol-Forming Material

The pores of the first substance were filled with the second substance, to give the aerosol-forming material. 

1-10. (canceled)
 11. An aerosol-forming material for a waterpipe, comprising: a first substance; and at least one second substance which is held by the first substance and which, following activation of the aerosol-forming material, is at least partly released; wherein the first substance is an open-pore mineral having pores for accommodating the second substance; and wherein the second substance is a fluid.
 12. An aerosol-forming material according to claim 1, wherein the first substance is in the form of granules.
 13. The aerosol-forming material of claim 1, wherein the particle size of the first substance is between 2.5 and 9.0 mm.
 14. The aerosol-forming material of claim 3, wherein the particle size of the first substance is between 5.0 and 9.0 mm.
 15. The aerosol-forming material of claim 1 wherein the fluid is selected from the group consisting of polyols, flavoring agents, active ingredients, water, and mixtures thereof.
 16. An aerosol-forming material according to claim 1, wherein the first substance is a natural mineral that belongs to the group of aluminosilicates.
 17. An aerosol-forming material according to claim 1, wherein the first substance, based on its weight, comprises at least 65% by weight of clinoptilolite.
 18. An aerosol-forming material according to claim 17, wherein the clinoptilolite is in the form of granules.
 19. An aerosol-forming material according to claim 17, wherein the clinoptilolite has a particle size of 2.5 to 9.0 mm.
 20. An aerosol-forming material according to claim 17, wherein the clinoptilolite has a particle size of 5.0 to 9.0 mm.
 21. The use of an open-pore material as carrier material of an aerosol-forming material for a waterpipe.
 22. The use of claim 21, wherein the open-pore material is clinoptilolite.
 23. The use of claim 22, wherein the clinoptilolite is in the form of granules. is in the form of granules.
 24. The use of claim 22, wherein the clinoptilolite is in the form of granules.
 25. The use of claim 22, wherein the clinoptilolite has a particle size of 2.5 to 9.0 mm.
 26. The use of claim 22, wherein the clinoptilolite has a particle size of 5.0 to 9.0 mm.
 27. The use of the aerosol-forming material of claim 11 as filling material for a waterpipe. 